Poor milk prices failed to dampen the enthusiasm and crowds. While only three months since quotas were abolished you get the feeling that the dairy industry only knows one way and that is to get better and bigger.

Feeding grassland better with lime, and breeding cows that last five lactations in herds, were key messages in order for farmers to get some profit from milking more cows.

Michael O’Donovan said, “Irish farmers are only spreading 700,000 tonnes of lime each year and that figure was 1.8m tonnes in 1985 when quotas were introduced. Straightaway farmers can increase soil fertility and grow more grass by spreading more lime. Over 70% of the soils in Munster and Leinster alone need lime to optimise soil fertility and grass growth.”

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Moorepark researcher Donagh Berry explained the easy gain in terms of profit for dairy farmers was to try and get an extra lactation out of cows already in the herd.

He said, “moving from an average of four lactations in the herd to five lactations per cow in the herd will immediately give you an extra €100 per cow in profit. Farmers can do this by breeding for fertility."

Speaking at the Open Day Minister Simon Coveney commended Teagasc on the work in the complete supply chain and said that the Government will continue to support the dairy sector.